PIG producers have been proactive in moving into sow stall-free systems as part of a voluntary initiative, which is shining a positive light on the sector, according to Australian Pork Limited chief executive officer Andrew Spencer.
Loose housing has been adopted and implemented by pig farmers who collectively account for almost 80 per cent of Australia’s sows.
Speaking at an Agribusiness Australia event held in Adelaide, Mr Spencer said the successful uptake of the voluntary initiative – unique to Australia – would be followed by a review of Australia’s pig welfare standards and the mandatory phase out of all sow stalls on Australian pig farms.
“It has been extremely encouraging to see such a high level of compliance with our voluntary sow stall phase-out initiative,” he said.
“Our producers have embraced the opportunity to shift their practices forwards and adopt new and more transparent ways of working. We aimed to get the whole industry over the line on this one but being a voluntary initiative, I think the achievement is still one to be proud of.”
Mr Spencer said the initiative helped improve consumer perception of the sector, which battled against foreign pork imports, the vast majority of which came with little animal welfare oversight or quality control guarantees.
“One of the biggest pluses for the Australian industry is it’s favourable position with consumers,” Mr Spencer said.
“Consumers want to know their pork is produced cruelty-free and farmers need to run their farms as if someone is looking over their shoulder every minute of the day.”
Mr Spencer said one way the industry was promoting their welfare standards was through a website – aussiepigfarmers.com.au. The site outlines the systems used to raise pigs and features producer stories.
Mr Spencer said the Australian pig industry was unique.
“Seven export abattoirs across Australia account for about 85 per cent of the pork processed,” he said. “Less than 500 pig farmers account for more than 90pc of pork production, while 2000 producers account for 1.5pc of total annual production.
“Most pork consumed as bacon and ham is made up of middles imported from Europe or boneless legs imported from North America.”
While much of the processed pork sold in Australia originates from overseas, only 10pc of Australian pork was exported, mainly to Singapore.
“Imports haven’t always been a big deal, it’s mainly been in the past 20 years or so, as a result of global trade dynamics, that pigmeat from Europe and America has made up the lion’s share of processed pigmeat,” he said.
Long road expected for pork profitability
THE past nine months have been a rollercoaster for the nation’s pig producers that no one predicted, according to Australian Pork Limited chief executive officer Andrew Spencer.
Since Christmas, pig prices have dropped from providing a healthy profit margin for most producers, to being below the cost of production for many farmers.
“The price drop came as a complete surprise and it’s going to take time to recover from,” he said.
“I had a producer write to me recently saying ‘for the first time in 23 years I didn’t join the sows in the piggery, I’ve decided to move on, and that was a decision made because of the present price situation’. But the industry fundamentals are actually going well. The industry strategy we wrote in 2014 had to be rewritten because we hit our 2020 consumption targets last year.”
While fresh pork consumption has grown 25 per cent since 2010, import pressure and growing volumes of pigmeat in Australia have put the squeeze on industry.
Pork production has expanded much faster than population growth in the past 18 months.
“The industry is suffering from competition in markets were it hasn’t been present before, with pre-cooked ribs and pork belly. These are products that can sit on shelves, unrefrigerated, for two years and still be eaten, and they’re within biosecurity protocols,” Mr Spencer said.
